I get by with a little help from my friends...and apparently I shower with them too:)

 

Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in country so figured it was the perfect time for an update from sunny, but cold and icy Gavar!

Add caption

I’ll start with the end of the December.  Because I really just started with my NGO’s at the beginning of December and because the holidays were quickly approaching, my time at Cartias and Good Hope was more about celebration of Nor Taree (New Year, the biggest celebration here in Armenia) and just getting to know the people I was going to be working with.  I did go with Diana (Caritas) to Chambarak and Vardenis to meet with and get to know a little bit about the two NGO’s we are going to be working with in those towns. 

I also got to go to both Nor Taree celebrations for Good Hope and Caritas, which was a great way to get to know the staff and kids I’ll be working with.  Caritas’ party was over 5 hours long and there were presentations on Christmas and Nor Taree celebrations throughout the world (I presented on New Years in the States), singing (Armenian’s love Abba’s Happy New Year and Wham’s Last Christmas- which the English club performed for us and everyone in the room sang along to the chorus…interesting song choices, but they love them!), a Secret Friend game (basically Secret Santa), and of course lots of dancing.  I had a wonderful time and it made me realize how happy I am to be working with the staff and kids at Caritas, though those kids wore me out!

with my Secret Friend, Hovhannes
For my gift, he made me a purple rose, and drew me a picture which he had the English teacher write Have A Nice Day in English:)

 

Dzmer Papik (Santa Claus) visit the kids at Children Rehabiliation and Development Center

Then I went to Argel with David to see my host family before the holidays and I swear I fall in love with them more everytime I am with them.  The day really could not have been better.  Liova, the baby, is getting so big and the second he saw me he started to smile, warmed my heart, and his mom Arpine said, this is your sister:)  Soosana was so excited to see me, she brought out the wine, totally an Armenian thing to do for the men, but was pretty funny that Soosana did it.  So at 2pm, we had dolmas and wine.  And Soosana told me she needed more Old Bay because she uses it all of the time!  I'd say that's a pretty good show of PC Goal #2: Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.:)  After a wonderful afternoon with my host fam, I went over to David's host family's home to celebrate his host mother, Alla's birthday.  Just watching both of our host families and the love shared in the room, David and I both agreed, it couldn't have been a better day:)

Sylvie, Liova, and Arpi

To celebrate Christmas, I had several Peace Corps friends over.  My friend Arpine was kind enough to loan us a projector for a few days, so we ate some traditional American food, played Dirty Santa, listened to Christmas music, visited the town of Noratus to check out their famous hatchkars, and watched Christmas movies on the wall of my apartment.  I have to admit, it never quite felt like Christmas so I really didn’t experience homesickness which is good. Armenians don’t celebrate until January 6^th, so December 25^th is just another day here in Armenia, but being surrounded by some of my dearest Peace Corps friends made it a very special couple of days. I also got to skype with mom, Dorrie, and dad back home and in true Engel/McGovern fashion we just laughed our way through our conversation, kind of hard not to be happy after that, especially since mom included her grocery list in my Christmas boxJ



Christmas in Gavar



Then, after counting down since August, I packed up for the trip I had been waiting for:  10 days in Prague and Budapest with my sister and several of my other friends.  And what a trip it was!  We got to see all of the sites, eat delicious food, drink tasty beer, laugh a ton, indulge in mulled wine, take a ton of jumping shots, experience new things and places, be serious in completely inappropriate situations (Robin you'll have this done by June;), and just enjoy a real vacation.  And we all got along amazingly which made it even more incredible!  Having been in Armenia for 7 months prior to the trip, I hadn’t realized how much I missed just blending in, being able to speak English, talk about life and future stuff, and be around people who know me incredibly well.  It was a great time to just be me, enjoy the company of my sister and some of my best friends, go back to my favorite city, and re-think my goals during my time here in Peace Corps.  And everyone knows how much I love my sister, so just being with her was the best thing I could have asked for. 

The crew at Hero's Square in Budapest, Hungary

St. Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

New Years Eve with my sister

The first week back to Armenia was a little tough, there is definitely a transition you go through when you come back here from vacation.  And to top it off, I had no water, no power, it was cold, the first person I ran into asked me when I could start teaching them English, a snowstorm was on its way, and after being with my sister and friends for over a week, I really missed them and America.  Power went back on after a day and a half but I still had to unfreeze my pipes, so for two days, I had heaters propped up to my hot water heater and pipes trying to unfreeze them.  After a few bucket baths, you have no idea how amazing a hot shower is, possibly even worth the week of no water!...well maybe not:)  But once I got through that part, I realized my attitude and excitement for Armenia and Peace Corps is even stronger than it was before I left.  After adjusting to life in Armenia, getting to know my community and myself here in Gavar, switching NGO’s, making Armenian friends who are becoming more dear to me by the day, and getting through some of the challenges of being in Peace Corps and living in a different country with a different culture, I really feel as though my life here has begun.  I have gone through a lot of the transitions and now things are really starting to settle and I feel really good about what the next year and a half of my service are going to be like. 

I will say, two weeks of not speaking Armenian, you can lose it so quickly.  When I got back, I went shopping, which is kind of a lost cause right after the Nor Taree celebrations because the stores are wiped out , literally, shelves empty, no bread, no dairy, and no cheese, which was exactly what I was seeking.  So I went to five stores, no luck.  Then ran into my friend Narine who took me to the store who apparently got the only shipments for Gavar after Nor Taree.  I ordered a kes kilo of cheese (half kilo) and the woman said something back to me.  I hadn't heard or talked in Armenian for two weeks so I just said yes.  Turns out she said don't you want a whole kilo...so guess who has been eating cheese all week, and there is still too much left.  First two days back in country and I spent $10, way more than my PC salary allows on cheese that I can't possibly eat on my own!

Last week I really started my work with my two NGO’s and my work with them gave me new life.  Monday and Tuesday, I worked with Gevorg at Good Hope.  We began a needs assessment of sorts in preparation for developing a strategic plan.  We discussed ideas for sustainable programs and trainings for the kids and their parents, ways to engage the community, the background and history of Good Hope, and a lot about the differences and similarities between non-profits in the US and NGO’s in Armenia and what Gevorg may be interested in implementing based upon our discussion.  We accomplished a lot in two days and I feel really good about working with him, it was a very encouraging two days! 

Then I was with Diana and Tatevik from Caritas on Wednesday and Thursday and we also had a lot of success.  Diana and I are working with the two NGO’s in Chambarak and Vardenis on how to become more sustainable organizations, developing their planning process, and working to increase their donor pull.  Armenian NGO’s really very heavily on foreign aid and international grants and donations, it is an issue which many are trying to address here in country.   Diana and I are trying to develop some new strategies for these two NGO’s to diversify their funding both within their community and externally as they both solely rely on Caritas for support at this time.  The Little Prince program just received a renewal of their funding for the program which included an increase in support, a very exciting time for them. So right now, Tatevik is trying to find another location for the program.  Currently, all of the Caritas programs are located in the same office, and Little Prince just needs more space to serve the kids and families they work with.  With the new funding, they are able to identify a new space, a process which is currently ongoing.  The hope is to move within the next couple of weeks and have the kids back in the center by the beginning of March.  In the meantime, Tatevik and I are working together to plan life skills and professional skills training for the kids including, healthy lifestyles and decisions, exercise, computer skills, business etiquette, gender equality, leadership and teamwork, etc. as well as trying to put together a talent show which will involve all of the schools and NGO’s which serve children as well as the entire community of Gavar.

Tatevik, my counterpart for Little Prince

 

 

I am also on the GenEq TOT (Gender Equality Training of Trainers) steering committee.  From March 18-20, there will be a gender equality training which will be held for Peace Corps volunteers with two counterparts from their community, which I will be helping to facilitate.  The ultimate goal is to have these PCV’s and their counterparts hold GenEq trainings for members of their community.  I will be bringing Tatevik as well as a lady named Karine who works for an NGO called Women’s Rights NGO, an organization which serves women and children who are victims of domestic violence.  Until I asked Diana who she thought would be best for this training, I was unaware that this NGO existed in Gavar and I was very pleased to know that this resource is available for women here in Gavar.  We will begin planning shortly, so more to come on this!

So all of this brings me to the wonderful day I had yesterday!  Diana called to invite me to the home of Araik and Irina (the driver and one of the social workers for Caritas) to have lunch.  I was hesitant initially because my shower is broken, I can’t turn my water on right now because my whole bathroom floods, and my sitemate was going to come help me fix it.  But, especially having just come back from vacation, I knew I needed to spend time with some of my friends from the community and Araik has one of the best personalities of anyone I’ve met in Armenia, I love the chances I have to be around him.  What was supposed to be just lunch turned into 8 hours of eating, dancing, drinking, laughing, and one of the best days that I have had since I’ve been in Armenia.  Araik and Irina are one of the most fun and loving couples I have met and their two kids share their amazing dispositions.  Being at their home for 8 hours a few months ago would have been too much for me, but yesterday I was just comfortable and happy, wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.  And that is when I realized that I was in love with Gavar again, being welcomed into their home the way I was and how much I loved being there was just what I needed.  Araik can’t speak English so we communicate in the little bit of Armenian I know and Diana helps translate a lot too.  The day was made even better by the following conversation as I was trying to explain the disaster that is my bathroom:

me (in Armenian): My shower broke, water sprayed all over my bathroom and is everywhere.

Araik (in Armenian): That's bad, do you shower every day?

me (in my bad Armenian and apparently not understanding Araik): Yes, my friends help me.


this picture doesn't quite do it justice

I had clearly not been paying enough attention to what he was saying, I thought he was asking if anyone was going to help me and I also made the mistake of replying in present tense rather than future…took me a minute to figure out why the whole room couldn't stop laughing:)  And he loves to laugh and give people shit, so I know I will be hearing about this for the next year and a half, which I am good with, makes me feel like I am a part of the groupJ



Venera, me, Diana, Irina, and Araik

 

So that is the latest from here in Gavar.  Feeling pretty good about life these days and really looking forward to what the next few months are going to bring my way.  Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and GO RAVENS!  Yes, I, along with two other volunteers, will be up at the crazy hour of 3:30 am to cheer them on against the Pats…got to enjoy a little taste of home when I can!

 

my other counterpart Diana has purple pride too:)